This invention relates to a salad bar insert which can be used to display salad bar foods in an inviting and attractive manner.
Salad bars have become an important part of a wide variety of restaurants. Typically, salad bars include containers of a number of salad foods, such as lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and the like, as well as several salad dressings. Salad bars are designed to allow consumers to make their own salads by selecting foods and dressings. Thus, the consumer actually works with the salad bar in preparing his salad, and the appearance of the salad bar is therefore important. A salad bar which is presented attractively and neatly can be an asset to a restaurant, both in terms of creating a pleasing atmosphere, as well as in terms of inviting consumers to try the salad bar.
One approach which has been taken in the past in assembling a salad bar is to place containers of salad foods in a mound of flaked ice inside the cold pan of a refrigeration table. The flaked ice is disposed around the containers, and it provides a clean, refreshing aspect to the salad bar. In order further to improve the appearance of the salad bar, it has been common practice to decorate the flake ice with vegetables such as kale.
The flaked ice approach to building a salad bar has the advantage of presenting an inviting and appealing salad bar. However, this approach can be labor intensive, both in the initial assembly and final disassembly of the salad bar, and in the maintenance required to keep it clean. Of course, consumers will drop and drip foods from containers onto the flake ice as they make salads. Considerable attention and time can be required to maintain a flaked ice salad bar in a clean and appealing condition, and the labor costs of building and maintaining a flaked ice salad bar can be considerable.